A homeless man who stabbed a shopper inside a Burholme Pathmark last year won’t have to worry about his own room and board for a while. A Philadelphia judge sentenced him earlier this month to serve up to 15 years in state prison.
Brian Duffy, 44, had a long history of violent convictions before an Oct. 6, 2014, incident inside the Pathmark at 840 Cottman Ave. when he began beating a 50-year-old man then used a kitchen knife to stab the victim in the face, wounding him critically and leaving the store’s dairy section a bloody mess.
At least 100 patrons and employees were inside the supermarket at the time. The store has since closed because the company went bankrupt.
Police said at the time that an argument between acquaintances prompted the attack. Police arrested Duffy a short time later walking on the 900 block of Faunce St. The victim was hospitalized, but survived.
On Nov. 17, Duffy pleaded guilty to attempted murder, aggravated assault and related offenses. Common Pleas Court Judge Anne Marie Coyle sentenced him to 7–1/2 to 15 years in prison. The attack violated his probation in a 1998 case in which he pleaded guilty to two aggravated assaults and was sentenced to 15 to 30 months in prison. He landed in trouble again in 2007 when he was convicted of fleeing police following an auto accident and sentenced to 18 months probation. ••
